If you are a Veteran or surviving spouse, you may be eligible for the Veterans Aid & Attendance benefit. This benefit, offered by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), provides monthly payments added to the amount of the monthly VA pension for qualified Veterans or surviving spouses.
Millions of veterans have earned this important benefit that can help them and their families pay for senior care — but many people don’t know about it.
When families do find out about the Aid & Attendance benefit, they sometimes find the VA’s application process and eligibility requirements confusing and difficult. Some mistakenly believe the program is only for combat veterans. Others don’t realize their loved one served during a qualifying time of war, because the VA definition of wartimes extends beyond the dates of conflict. Recipients don’t need to be impoverished to qualify for the Aid & Attendance, benefit either. The VA doesn’t include the value of your car, home or personal effects when it reviews assets and income for eligibility.
The Aid & Attendance pension is a tax-free benefit paid directly to the qualified veteran or spouse. The monthly benefits are subject to change annually.
Veterans who served on active duty for at least 90 consecutive days, including at least one day during wartime, may be eligible for Aid and Attendance if they also qualify for the basic Veterans Pension and meet the Aid & Attendance clinical and financial requirements.
Service in a combat zone is not an eligibility requirement. Widowed spouses of eligible veterans may also qualify if they meet the clinical and income requirements and have not remarried.
To qualify for Aid & Attendance, the Veteran or surviving spouse must demonstrate a regular need for caregiver assistance or the need to live in a protected environment because of physical or mental impairment. This assistance is commonly provided in a licensed assisted living or memory care community.
Assistance with the complex application is best given by accredited VA agents. Accreditation is granted by the VA to representatives, agents and attorneys to assist claimants in the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims.
Every state has a Department of Military/Veteran Affairs staffed with Veteran Service Officers (VSOs). Their assistance in completing the lengthy Aid & Attendance application is free of charge.
Approval time varies and depends on the workload at the VA Pension Management Center for your region. For many applicants, it takes roughly nine months to get approved. Don’t let this discourage you from applying. Once you or your loved one have Aid & Attendance approval, the first benefit payment is a lump sum covering all the time between the date you filed the application and the date of approval.
If the applicant is over 90 years old, you can include a letter with the application requesting that it be expedited. The VA is supposed to prioritize applications from veterans age 90 and older.